Goodman looking forward to having some fun

Roy Goodman. Photo / Supplied

Two years ago, when Roy Goodman took the podium for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's Splendour of Baroque series, the Englishman's expertise ensured that a lively, stylish time was had by all. Next week, making his first appearance with the orchestra since his appointment as principal guest conductor, Goodman has brought along Haydn and Mozart.

Only last month, he conducted two of the works we will hear on Thursday with the Vasteras Sinfonietta in Sweden.

"The audience went wild," says Goodman, "and I'm sure we'll have fun in Auckland too."

Back in 2007, that first meeting with the APO was love at first hearing. "Here was a group, hungry to discover new ideas and take on board alternative ways of playing. I go to lots of orchestral concerts where such things just don't happen; where everyone's on automatic pilot - they've played it all before and don't want to change their ways."

Not so in Auckland two years ago, when the APO players were eager "to leave their modern ways of playing behind them and tackle 18th century music with just the right style".

Nor does Goodman hold back from singling out individual excellence. Concertmaster Dimitri Atanassov, who plays solo alongside violist Robert Ashworth in Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante on Thursday, "may come from the Russian school of playing," Goodman explains, "but he had no trouble with taking on my ideas and doing things exactly the way I wanted it. There aren't many musicians who can do that."

But then what musician would not be keen to follow the example of a man who honed his craft with such illustrious ensembles as the Brandenburg Consort and Hanover Band?

I can't resist reminding him of a Corelli concert by the Brandenburg Consort which screened on the Arts Channel, performances which positively glowed with the sheer enjoyment of the musicians.

"When we rehearsed we hardly had to talk," Goodman remembers. "We just smiled and nodded and winked at each other. They knew my house style which I'm now trying to spread around the world."

Just what is the Goodman house style? "A respect for what I think the composer intended."

He points to Thursday's Haydn Symphony, the seventh of a dozen the composer wrote for his eager London audiences. "There are so many wonderful and exciting ideas here. We all talk about the humour in Haydn, but you've got to know where to look and what to highlight. Most importantly, you have to supplement the printed page with historically informed articulation and phrasing."

He confesses he had "pinched ideas from other composers and performance practices - and applied them liberally".

To get the tempo right, however, it was the 19th century that provided the clues. "There are specific metronome marks from Hummel and Czerny who were arranging some of the Haydn symphonies for piano duet. These throw a lot of light on what the Italian tempo markings mean and, in general, this music is extremely fast."

However, Goodman admits that if he was worried about the piece being in too much of a scurry, he would "knock 10 per cent off the metronome marking. I've been to performances where pieces are performed at half and double tempo and that has to be ridiculous.

"When a composer's dead, some people think they can do what they want, but I don't like that.

"My great joy is finding my own way and this is where experience comes in."

Performance

What: Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
Where and when: Auckland Town Hall, Thursday 8pm.